the Hague Lacrosse on the frontpage of the NLL

My friends of the Hague Lacrosse (the Knights) can be seen on the frontpage of nll.com

It’s an article about the expansion of NLL games on Eurosport 2.

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Duke starts practice again

DURHAM, N.C. – They were back at practice, enthusiastically going through lacrosse drills on an overcast Monday morning. It was as if everything was normal again.

But so much has happened in the last five months at Duke. And now, just the mere presence of the players on the field suggested this was anything but routine.

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Barrage rout Outlaws in MLL Championship

August 27, 2006
Adam O’Neill

Philly’s Roy Colsey was named Bud Light MVP after notching 10 points in the MLL Championship. (Dirk Dewachter)

Possession.Any youth or high school coach will preach it to their players as the cornerstone of winning ball games. Today was a prime example of why.

The Philadelphia Barrage won 75 percent of its face-offs in the most dominating performance in MLL Championship history, a 23-12 rout of the top-seeded Denver Outlaws.

“Obviously we are thrilled,” said Philly coach Tony Resch. “We felt like, coming down the stretch, we gained the kind of momentum we needed. Through the playoff game, the semi, and the final, I think we just continued to play solid lacrosse.”

“The face off work from Paul Cantabene … you don’t see guys control like he did and we just felt like if we consistently got possession we could do some things offensively.  And that is exactly what happened.”

The Barrage also got incredible performances turned in by Roy Colsey and Matt Striebel. Striebel finished with four goals, including one two-point goal and four assists for nine points. Colsey ended the day with 10 points (6, 2, 2) and Bud Light MVP honors. All of his goals came by the end of the third quarter.

In the two MLL playoff games, Colsey combined for 15 points. Today, he had several key goals, including two two-pointers in a four-minute span before halftime that helped give the Barrage a seven-goal cushion going into the break. In fact, those two goals were game-deciders, putting Philly ahead by a score of 12- 6 and 14-7.

“Its that veteran leadership … He’s been in big situations like this,” said Resch of Colsey. “I think, especially after last year, he never quite got healthy. He came in in great shape and once his shot starts to go, he gets in a groove, the last four or five games he really started to find it, and just carried that into Friday night (in the semifinal game) and now again Sunday. So he’s just a big game player.”

Barrage players also bought into the team concept. Goalie Brian Dougherty said the team is a tight-knit group of guys, and it shows in how they play. In a league where there is a lot of individual effort, the Barrage played together as a team.

Their run to the Championship rested on stellar defense (Philly has the second-best GAA in the league) and a team concept that enabled the team’s EMO to be the league’s most efficient, their man-down to be the league’s most stifling and to rack up 89 assists on 172 goals for the season.

Today, for example, when Ryan Boyle was attacked by a very aggressive Denver defense (they even used goalie Trevor Tierney as a slide), Striebel and Colsey were able to work from up top for scores. Although held scoreless, Boyle still finished with four assists.

“Roy (Colsey) and [Striebel], they just don’t miss. Ryan (Boyle) knows exactly what to do. Ryan is the smartest player in the game for a reason,” said defenseman Kyle Sweeney. “We had a game plan and we stuck to it. Go with our middies … move it behind, go through Ryan a lot. When the ball moves through Ryan that kid doesn’t lose too many games. Certainly not many championships.”

Other top performers included Philadelphia’s BJ Prager (4 g, 1 a) and Dougherty (19 saves). Three Denver players finished the game with four points, including Brendan Mundorf (3, 1), Brian Langtry (2, 2) and Mike Law (2,2).

Denver, which entered the playoffs as the league’s best two-point shooting team, had no two-point goals to Philly’s three. Jeff Sonke, who leads the league in three-pointers, injured his hamstring in the semifinal game on Friday and did not play Sunday.

Notes: The Barrage’s post-game celebration was rung in by Starship’s “We Built this City” over the loudspeaker. A song that has was named worst single ever by Blender Magazine, “We Built this City” was put on the Barrage’s locker room “pump up” tape at the beginning of the season. Although Brian Dougherty suggested the song as a joke, it was put on the CD and been known as somewhat of an anthem, albeit an odd one, for the team this year. The Barrage requested that if they won the title the song be played … The announced attendance for the game was 5,374 … Philly face-off man Paul Cantabene said he will not return to the MLL next season … Denver Goalie Trevor Tierney had three penalties for a total of three penalty minutes. He was the most penalized player in the championship game.

Box Score

	1	2	3	4	F
Philadelphia Barrage	7	7	6	3	23
Denver Outlaws	4	3	3	2	12

 

Inside the World Championship: Meet the Czechs

Team for the Championships

The core of the team will be selected mainly from the players ofthe three elite Czech clubs – LC Jižní Město, LCC Radotín and TJ Malešice.

 

We expect that several elite players of Czech descent from overseas will join the team. These players should bring their experience and skills to raise the quality of play up and motivate the Czech players to perform better by bringing a positive competitive atmosphere to the squad.

Czech team, the winer of Prague Cup 2005 tournament

Stefan Henn, a professional lacrosse coach from the U. S., will assist Jiří organizing and leading team practices. Stephen met the team during the field-lacrosse Prague Cup 2005.

The team lead by the head coach Jiří Mikulka have commenced the winter training. Physical conditioning training and individual technical skills practice will are the team’s focus now. In spring, game situations and strategy will be the main training concern.

Participation in tournaments abroad and matches against the American teams who contest the Prague Cup, will be part of the program.

Player Roster
#	Name	Position
1	Ladislav Cizek	Goalie
2	Pavel Kraus	Defense
3	Petr Novotny	Attack
4	Jakub Novacek	Midfield
5	Martin Mrlik	Midfield
6	Emil Labaj	Defense
7	Milan Cernik	Attack
8	Jakub Nosek	Midfield
9	Emil Moravec	Attack
10	Pavel Dosly	Midfield
11	Jiri Minarik	Midfield/Defense
12	Ales Vesely	Defense
13	Rostislav Zapletal	Midfield
14	Ondrej Mika	Defense
15	Brian Michael Hubschmann	Attack
16	Josef Ondracek	Midfield
17	Petr Poupe	Midfield
18	Petr Gheorghe	Midfield
19	Radek Kostal	Goalie
20	Adam Kostka	Midfield
21	Timothy Hamersky	Defense
22	Adam Ondracek	Midfield
23	Andrew Raymond Hubschmann	Attack
24	Tomas Beran	Midfield
25	Jakub Drozd	Goalie
26	Otakar Gregory Hubschmann	Midfield
	Jiri Mikulka	Head Coach
	Stefan Henn	Coach
	Otakar Hubschmann	Physician

 

Japanese National Team Edges North Carolina, 10-9

TOKYO, JAPAN — The North Carolina Tar Heel men's lacrosse team took on the Japanese National Team Sunday afternoon at the International Lacrosse Friendship Games at Edogawa Stadium in Tokyo, Japan with the Japanese National Team scoring the last three goals of the match to rally past the Tar Heels 10-9 in a thriller.

(Source:www.laxpower.com)

 

World Lacrosse Championships Just One Month Away

I’ll be there! Will you? 

LONDON, Ont., Canada – The 2006 Warrior World Lacrosse Championships are just over one month away. The tournament will end on the heels of another global championship, the World Cup of Soccer in Germany, early next month.

The Lacrosse tournament, which runs from July 13-22, is expected to be the largest lacrosse event in history, promising to draw tens of thousands of fans to London, Ont., “The Forest City.”

The International Lacrosse Federation, which oversees international lacrosse competitions and global development of the game, is excited about the prospect of bringing the games back to Canada for the first time since 1986, when Toronto’s Varsity Stadium played host to the event.

“This event will mark an important period in the growth and development of lacrosse at an international level,” said Stan Cockerton, Vice President of the ILF and a native of Oshawa, Ont. “It’s great to see countries like Bermuda, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic fully embracing the sport. The growth of the game is very positive.”

Twenty-one teams will compete for the world championship at TD Waterhouse Stadium at the University of Western Ontario and the North London Athletic Fields. Another 47 teams will compete in a less-competitive 2006 Frank’s Red Hot Festival and about 20 teams will compete in a National Development Program (NDP) Lacrosse tournament. Over 100,000 players, family members, coaches, officials, administrators and fans are expected to attend the event.

With a national television deal with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation imminent and other television contracts in the works, the event will also garner the highest level of global media coverage in the event’s 49-year history.

For more information on the tournament, please visit www.2006worldlacrosse.com.

 

Duke re-instated

There will be a 2007 season for the Duke men’s lacrosse team, it was announced at a Monday afternoon press conference.

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Duke President: Letter to community

 

The Art of Checking

by Janine Tucker

Checking is not just another defensive skill to be learned. It’s an art. In addition to the physical aspects of this skill, there’s a particular mindset that sets apart great takeaway defenders from all others.

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England duel Bayhawks, Barrage

England Head Coach Dave Elwood took his troops on another warm up exercise last Thursday, flying out to Philadelphia for a three day, two game tour.

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